Mady Steffen was among the first students at the MSU College of Music to bundle the new Graduate Certificate in Music Career Development within the structure of her master’s degree. While she was already intent on a career related to performance and teaching, she saw the graduate certificate as another way to strengthen her marketability.

Steffen’s path to arts administration wasn’t a straight line. When she graduated high school, she set out to earn a bachelor’s in music education, and then a master’s flute performance. But as she ventured along, Steffen took a turn and decided to explore business and arts administration, too. Within a few months, she arrived at the Grand Rapids Symphony, first as an intern, then as the assistant manager of education programming, after completing her master’s in spring 2020.

“The certificate gave me even more flexibility for career options as well as additional confidence for different paths I could pursue,” Steffen said. “Coming to MSU, I never thought this is where I would land, but the certificate program really opened up opportunities and gave me direct skills that have been extremely valuable.”

Customizing careers

Christine Beamer is the College’s director of career services and music entrepreneurship, and was among the faculty, advisors, and administrative leadership who devised the program over an 18 month period. The certificate is designed to help students coherently organize their electives around specific career goals, and to provide experiential learning in the form of a capstone project or internship. Highly customizable, the certificate enables students to develop a secondary area of expertise to enhance their career and professional prospects.

“This certificate makes you think about what kinds of strengths you want to develop and how to market yourself,” Beamer said. “The program also allows students to study business and self-employment aspects of a professional life while still in school.”

Many students value the ability to take electives outside the College or their major, and the certificate program supports that. Courses in business, arts administration, marketing and entrepreneurship are popular. Students also attend workshops offered through the College’s Running Start program to complete the certificate, networking with professionals in the field.

Eric Zheng earned both his master’s in saxophone performance and the graduate certificate in Spring 2021. He is currently building his freelance business, as well as recording and performing with Group 2—a professional saxophone quartet of MSU students and alumni from the College’ saxophone studio.

Zheng found endless inspiration in the Running Start workshops he attended as part of his certificate curriculum. Several in particular stood out, featuring musical entrepreneurs who balanced businesses and musical ventures. He also took a week-long intensive course led by Matt Landry of the Akropolis Reed Quartet on how to build and manage a professional portfolio.

“The certificate classes and activities gave me the chance to directly apply what I was learning to what would happen after graduation,” Zheng said. “Lots of times, musical studies focus on getting in the practice room and honing instrumental skills. That’s important, but it’s important, too, to understand how we will apply our skills when we graduate.”

Most immediately, Zheng is continuing to explore how saxophone can play a role in Chinese music, and vice-versa. He’s arranging and producing and has his sights set on releasing an album. Over time, he plans to strengthen his recording and production skills as he pursues an entrepreneurial path.

“One key thing I learned is to see yourself and your start-up business through the same lens as a tech entrepreneur would,” he said. “The marketing and organizational skills I learned are helping me formulate a clear mission and direction moving forward.”

Graduate Advisor Susan Hoekstra said Zheng’s experience represents the push and pull of musicians who live to perform and mentor, but understand the increasing need to acquire business skills as well. Her goal is to help each student design a solid educational experience that will help them find their way in the professional world post-MSU.

“In our field, musicians long to be performers, then teachers, then administrators,” she said. “The reality of the profession is that every performer or teacher ends up involved in some level of administration. The Graduate Certificate in Career Development helps students in this area by not only increasing their marketability, but by preparing them for the demands of the profession.”